Four Key Marketing Trends DMCNY Member News You’ll …...Expect in Direct & Digital Marketing in...

BY BRUCE BIEGEL

In what has become awelcome DMCNY tradi-tion, Bruce Biegel, seniormanaging director of theWinterberry Group,offered

his predictions and advice for marketers atour annual kickoff luncheon in January.Bruce graciously agreed to highlight forPostings a few of the key points from hispresentation, Annual Outlook: What toExpect in Direct & Digital Marketing in 2012.

Paradigms are shifting in the marketingworld, and the only true constant fortoday’s marketer is complexity – proliferat-ing data streams, constantly evolving chan-nels, advancing technologies and ever-changing customer preferences.

The key to making 2012 a productivemarketing year is to focus on the channelsand tactics that are getting results – and touse them to serve customers in uniqueways.

Here are four key trends bound to affectyour marketing efforts this year, and someguidance on dealing with each of them:

■ Mobile is a way of life. No longer justanother channel to consider, mobile hasbecome a key factor in the daily lives ofpeople of all ages worldwide. How can youbest address that phenomenon? Think ofmobile as an action as well as a device.What is mobile but the device you areusing and the place you are using it for theaction that device is best suited for? Studyhow pads, smartphones, notebooks, eachadd to your customers’ daily lives in unique

ways – and match your messaging to thoserealities.

■ Data management platforms arecrucial to understanding customer pref-erences. Marketers are ever more chal-lenged by the volume and types of datacoming at them from all directions.The keyto turning data to gold is the ability tomanage it and make it actionable – rightnow. Sadly, there’s a lack of talent in thefield for selling data-driven media (ie, salesstaff who thoroughly understand data,media and the latest technologies). Keepon the lookout for new talent – and work toboost the data-driven targeting talents ofyour current staff.

■ Content is king now more thanever. Driven by rapidly improving mobile,tablet and video technology, the focus ofmarketing teams worldwide has shifted tothe integration of quality content withcommerce. The key to turning content togold is focusing more on content curationas content creation grows – ensuringongoing relevance.

■ Internal silos need to become obso-lete. In today’s marketing landscape, suc-cess demands a holistic approach to mar-keting process management. To achieveoptimized marketing methods and rele-vant customer conversation, companiesmust break down their internal silos andcreate integrated teams able to serve thecustomer at each and every touchpoint.Yes, the process of dismantling depart-ments can be painful, but it is crucial toensuring your internal structure betterreflects the flexible, demanding and inte-grated world of today’s consumer.

Four Key Marketing TrendsYou’ll Need to Address Right Now

Direct Marketing Club of New York | www.dmcny.org

To help bring our vibrant DM communitycloser, let us know what you and yourcompany are up to! Send your news [email protected]. Notices will beplaced in the newsletter and online atwww.dmcny.org/page/postingsnews.

Data Services, Inc. isproudly celebrating its45th anniversary in2012. Data Services’President & CEO, and2011 DMCNY SilverApple Award recipient,Jerry Messer cited the direct and emailmarketing services company’s continuedcommitment to innovation and strongfocus on customer service as leading con-tributors to its success in the ever-evolv-ing direct marketing industry. DataServices, Inc., www.dataservicesinc.com.

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DMCNY Board Member DanielleBrooks has joined McVicker &Higginbotham in Business Developmentand Account Management. Danielle wasmost recently with Data Management,

and prior to that, heldpositions at Trans Unionand The Polk Company.McVicker & Higginbothamis a direct marketing serv-ices company in LongIsland City that prints,

personalizes and assembles direct mailpackages, and works with not-for-profitorganizations, hospitals and universities.McVicker & Higginbotham, www.mcvh.com.

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DMCNYMember News

vol . 3 , i ssue 1 | M arch 2012

d i r e c t & d i g i t a l n e w sf r o m d m c n y

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www.dmcny.org http://bit.ly/dmcnyfacebook

Dear DMCNY Member—

Welcome to the first Postings edition of the New Year!I am thrilled and honored to take on the role of president of the Direct Marketing Club

of New York for 2012 and 2013. Having worked with the DMCNY for many years andserved on the board for the past 5 years, I truly enjoy volunteering my time and collabo-rating with so many wonderful, hard-working members. I look forward to contributing tothe success of this club and meeting all of you at our events. Reach out to me at any timeto offer your feedback – to ensure we meet all your expectations.

The DMCNY kicked off the New Year hotter than ever, with record-breaking atten-dance at our January luncheon.

We are launching our new website this spring, and it is amazing. The site has a newlook and feel that is tailored for a better user experience.The homepage will provide easyaccess to popular content, recent activity and recent posts.We created a more interactiveexperience to make dmcny.org feel more like a community of direct marketers. Membersand visitors can comment and share their perspectives on articles and posts.

We will add additional functionality to the site over time, including a live Twitter feed,and exclusive content and messaging for site visitors and members who have logged in.Our goal is to continue to make the site lively, engaging and interesting. We welcomeyour comments! Just click on the Contact Us tab on the new site to let us know what youthink!

Our programming and events continue to move forward to reflect the ongoingtrends in direct marketing.We are hosting four luncheons and three evening networkingevents in 2012 to better serve your needs. In addition, we continue our Education Series– which will kick off in April. With our cutting-edge topics and expert speakers, I’m cer-tain we will attract record numbers of attendees.We will also host our annual golf outing– which has been moved to September – and our annual Silver Apple Award Gala inNovember. Don’t miss out on these great programs and events. Check for updates atwww.dmcny.org.

We welcome five new board members this year: Greg Wells, Scott CooperAssociates; Brooke Swindle, Lyris; Rita Gantt, Media One LLC; Keith Messer, Data Services;and Lisa Moore, PrecisionDemand. Make sure you meet them at our upcoming events.

The DMCNY membership group has been busy working on new initiatives for 2012.We recently launched our membership renewal campaign – and I want to thank all ofyou who have rejoined. We will also be launching a new-member acquisition campaignto attract vibrant new members to our club.

We will continue in 2012 with our “young professional” member level, designed forrecent graduates starting out in the industry, under the age of 30.This lower-priced mem-bership is aimed to expand our professional mix and ensure we bring together new andexperienced direct marketers within our community.

I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!

Cyndi Lee, President

Editor: Claire A. Coyne 412-531-9318 • [email protected] Sales: Matt Frattura 212-387-0300 • [email protected]

Art Director: Cheryl A. Biswurm 201-485-2023 • [email protected] by Impression Point, Inc., Stamford, CT • impressionpt.com

Letter from Our ClubPresident

March 2012 | 3


direct & digital newsfrom dmcny

OFFICERSPRESIDENTCyndi Lee - Specialists Marketing Services201-865-5800 x2203; [email protected]

1ST VPPam Haas - Harte-Hanks401-272-0175; [email protected]

2ND VPJeff Kobil - LDSGroup Inc.646-390-5701; [email protected]

TREASURERArthur Blumenfield - BMI Fulfillment Services, Inc.203-546-5584; [email protected]

SECRETARYRegina Brady - Reggie Brady Mktg Solutions203-838-8138; [email protected]

BOARD MEMBERSIMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTPegg Nadler - Pegg Nadler Associates, Inc.212-861-0846; [email protected]

Danielle Brooks - McVicker & Higginbotham718-937-2940 x26; [email protected]

Lori Collins - Focus USA603-635-1842; [email protected]

Rita Gantt - Media 1 LLC203-226-6757; [email protected]

Matthew Frattura - Paradysz Direct212-387-0300; [email protected]

Rich Kirshberg - RK Interactive917-572-5644; [email protected]

Kirk Kozak - Zeta Interactive646-834-9400; [email protected]

Peter Malamas - ForeSee734-205-2579; [email protected]

Keith Messer - Data Services, Inc.646-351-6351; [email protected]

Lisa Moore - PrecisionDemand646-738-8375; [email protected]

Ron Sichler - CPW Digital203-661-4910; [email protected]

Brooke Swindle - Lyris646-329-6265; [email protected]

Greg Wells - Scott Cooper Associates, Inc.631-249-9700; [email protected]

Rick Witsell - Alliant845-276-2600 ext 218; [email protected]

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORStuart Boysen - Stu Boysen Associates, Inc.516-746-6700; [email protected]

ADVISORSCheryl Biswurm - Turner Direct, LLC201-485-2023; [email protected]

William Denhard - The Lee Epstein Fund212-790-1583; [email protected]

Chet Dalzell212-725-2294; [email protected]

Patti Devine - Devine & Company845-887-3076; [email protected]

JoAnne Dunn - Alliant845-276-2600 ext 216; [email protected]

Richie Lokay - Wingtip Marketing347-635-4373; [email protected]

David Lord - David Lord, CPA914-241-8365; [email protected]

4 | March 2012

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Member News(continued from page 1)

The company has also rebranded its listmanagement division as Adrea RubinMedia, Inc.“Our activity in data encompass-es a much broader spectrum of channelsand services than traditional list manage-ment,” notes Adrea Rubin, CEO. “We haverebranded the division to acknowledgethese changes.” Adrea Rubin Marketing, Inc.,www.adrearubin.com.

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Pegg Nadler, presidentof Pegg Nadler Associates,has been invited to bethe keynote speaker atfour conferences inAustralia sponsored bythe Australian DMA. She

will be in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney andPerth in March and April talking about thestate of direct response in the US, UK andCanada and the continuing importance ofdirect mail in the multichannel mix. Pegg isthe immediate past president of DMCNY.Pegg Nadler Associates, Inc.,[email protected], 212-861-0846.

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Leon Henry has written a new whitepaper on the effectiveness of InsertMedia advertising. “Postage seems des-tined to rise again, but alert marketers cantake advantage of the growing interest inaccepting inserts in their packages,” Leonnotes. Send an email to request your copyto: [email protected]. Leon HenryIncorporated, www.leonhenryinc.com.

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JF Direct Marketing is pleased toannounce the development of a newmailing list response model entitledSCORES, designed to lift response ratesabove the norm for most outside lists.SCORES takes millions of mail-order buyerrecords of people who have bought a par-ticular offer multiple times, and ranks thosewho have a high propensity to purchase,allowing specific selection of those individ-uals. JF Direct Marketing, Inc.,www.jfdirectmarketing.com. �

Clean Harbors, which was first on theBoston Globe’s “Globe 100” list of best-per-forming public companies, has selectedCrossbow Group to develop and imple-ment a strategic communications plantargeted to one of its key vertical mar-kets. The objective of the integrated plan isto measurably increase awareness and con-sideration of the company’s growing suiteof services and solutions. Crossbow Group,www.crossbowgroup.com.

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Adrea Rubin has welcomed two newemployees, opened a Chicago office, andrebranded one of its divisions.Christopher Decancq has been named SVP,Insurance & Financial Services. Christopher’sresponsibilities will include new businessdevelopment. Michael Hannay has beennamed SVP, Strategic Development. Michaelbrings 20+ years of DM experience to thecompany.

BY LIZ KISLIK

As the economic pic-ture begins to brighten, it’stime for managers to takestock: Are you prepared forthe staffing and organiza-

tional challenges that an upturn can bring?If you’re like most managers, for the past

year, two years, even four years, you’vebeen running yourself and your staffragged trying to do more with less. Nowthat things are beginning to ease up a bit,you may be starting to consider hiringagain, or investing in new equipment ornew outside services. You might also befeeling a mix of caution and relief andthinking hopefully about growth as youmove on from the grinding pressure of therecent and not-so-recent past.

But even though the days of extremebelt-tightening may be behind you, don’tloosen up so much that your pants fall off.Here are a few realities to bear in mind aswe look to the future.

YOUR STAFF KNOWS THE SCOREYour staff pays at least some attention to

the news.They know employment is edgingup and more companies are complainingabout not being able to find skilled or expe-

rienced workers.They also know that corpo-rate profits are generally growing. So don’tbe surprised if some of your best staff peopledecide it’s time to look for greener pastures.

Even the ones who prefer to stay withyou – or who have fewer options – may startexpressing pent-up demand for thepay increases you held back a year,18 months, or as long as 36 monthsago – or for raises that are above the2 percent that has become thenorm. If your staff thinks that yourcompany’s owners and sharehold-ers are finally making money butnot sharing the profits,or if they sus-pect that management is being rewardedand they’re not, the negativity can becomeoverwhelming.

And don’t forget about the underem-ployed part-timers who don’t have healthinsurance, or the full-timers who are payinga greater percentage of their health careexpenses than they did before the reces-sion: These are also needs that might comeout into the open as business picks up.

SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVEDuring this intense period of stress,

many managers have been leaping fromone initiative to another, trying one gambitafter another. But all too often, staffs that

Moving Forward Togetherare too thin have been whipsawed fromone flavor-of-the-month to the next one,and they’re showing signs of wear. Youmight be noticing more errors, more ill-ness, more intensity (of the negative kind),more backbiting, less tolerance of others’

mistakes, more distraction – you name it.So it could be time to think about hiring

again, but it certainly isn’t a time when youcan afford a hiring or placement mistake.Good fit – organizational, cultural, and role– is crucial. You’ll probably need to dust offor retool your old selection criteria andinterview processes, and buff up your on-boarding and training programs.

Be sure the candidates you considerhave faced challenges similar to the onesyour business confronts; it’s not enough ifthey’ve held jobs with similar titles.Behavioral interviewing techniques arevery effective at bringing out information

Photo: Christopher Appoldt

“It’s time to have some realheart-to-heart talks with yourstaff, with both sides exchanginginformation about expectations– and hopes – for the future.”

www.dmcny.org | 5

BY JEANNETTE KOCSIS

Online preference cen-ters offer benefits to mar-keters as well as consumers.Monitoring each customer’spreferences helps improvetargeting, provides direc-tion for multichannel cam-

paigns and boosts engagement, among otherrewards.

Customers’ channel preferences arechanging left and right – and it’s moreimportant than ever to know which chan-nel your customer is paying attention toand using.

Whether selling to consumers or to busi-nesses, leveraging an online preferencecenter is an effective best practice used bysavvy marketers to deliver strategic com-munications and engage customers.Essentially, it is a place where the customershakes hands with a brand.

MAINTAINING PRODUCTIVE ONLINEPREFERENCE CENTERS

Here are six considerations to keep inmind when operating Online PreferenceCenters:

Give Customers a True Choice inTheir Communications. The first

step in creating a preference center strate-gy is identifying the channels a marketercan support and finding out if those chan-nels can be integrated at the databaselevel. Channels may include all the tradi-tional media, but it is important to consid-er social and mobile, too. Use the prefer-ence center to confirm preferred addressand contact details for data accuracy.

The next choice is one of frequency (ie,monthly, or maximum number of messagesper week). In the past, the frequency of cus-tomer marketing communications oftenwas determined by budget, occasionallydetermined by result optimization andoften determined by the needs of multiplegroups within an organization (a marketeronly has one list of customers, and that listmight be accessed by many people, result-ing in too-frequent communications).Somechannels, such as mobile, require frequencyexpectations – and a preference center canhelp enable the customer to provide their

own frequency of communications.Finally, customers should be able to

choose their content. Marketers may wantto consider groupings of content (ie, sportsor entertainment) as well as types of con-tent, such as offers, events or new-productlaunches.

Another aspect of the preference centeris the “save” of the opt-out. When cus-tomers click on the opt-out link, the prefer-ence center can offer alternatives to thecustomer, such as less-frequent communi-cations and the availability of differentchannels or different content. This allows acustomer to opt down or to change con-tent preferences.

Enable Multichannel Marketing.Most marketers today communicate

with customers across several differentchannels. Many understand that cam-paigns and corporate content should varyby channel, particularly in today’s environ-ment where email, social and mobile com-munications are often managed by differ-ent teams. But, good marketers also knowthat campaigns must be carefully coordi-nated across different communicationtypes. Remember that we all have our ownversion of what multichannel means to us.Putting the customer in charge of his or herown multichannel experience will meanbetter relevancy and results.

Learn About and UnderstandCustomers. Marketers can obtain a

multitude of useful information about con-sumers through information provided inan online preference center. At the veryminimum, asking for an email address,mobile phone numbers for text opt-in or aphysical address for fulfillment is essentialin improving data quality.

Beyond those imperatives, there’s anopportunity to ask for information that willenhance the customer’s relationship andthe flow of future communications. Forexample, consider offering dynamic sur-veys and polls to gain information aboutcustomers that can result in improvedoffers and communications. Leverage thefact that a brand recognizes its customer,and all of the behaviors associated with apreference profile can be tracked to bestserve the customer.

Driving Multichannel MarketingThrough Online Preferences

about their ability to work well with a team,their experience with handling your kind ofpressures, and their potential for ongoingcontribution and growth.

Try to involve potential colleagues in theinterviewing process as well. A peer maypick up on grandstanding or a lack ofopen-mindedness that may not come outin discussion with a potential superior. It’salso to your benefit for job seekers to knowexactly what they’re getting into, and peerinterviewers will often explain the currentreality of the job more concretely than any-one else can.

THE BOTTOM LINE TO MOVINGFORWARD: HONESTY

You’ve survived some very tough yearswith some of the very same people whoare still working in your shop. How do youkeep them at their best now that moreoptions may be opening up for them? Howdo you encourage them to reach evengreater heights now that you have a fewmore resources to spread around?

The first step is to find out what theythink. Don’t assume that you know.They’vebeen as careful about maintaining theirjobs during this tough period as you’vebeen about maintaining your job – and thebusiness.

If you haven’t been checking in regular-ly, it’s time to have some real heart-to-hearttalks with your staff, with both sidesexchanging information about expecta-tions – and hopes – for the future.

Once you know you’re on each other’swavelength, you can renew your plans forbuilding that future together. Make sureyou fill your folks in about what’s going on:how much progress you’re making, orwhere you want to be but haven’t gottento yet. And think twice and three timesabout what kind of recovery they (and you)need – or additional resources that willhelp ensure success – in preparation forleaping into significant new efforts. �

Liz Kislik helps businesses successfully addresschallenges and make the most of opportuni-ties in customer service and sales, workforceperformance and leadership development,and organizational structure and culture. Lizalso writes and publishes Workplace Wisdom,a weekly blog and monthly newsletter aboutmanagement, service and self-care. Reach herat [email protected].

Moving Forward(continued from page 4)

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6 | March 2012

BY RUTH P. STEVENS

Search optimizing aB2B offer is an art in and ofitself; the secret lies incrafting a short-and-sweetmessage that attracts –

and qualifies – prospects.The best way to motivate a click online is

to make a compelling offer and provide anurgent call to action. We all know this.

But when it comes to search engineadvertising, like Google AdWords, you needto think about your offer and call to actiona bit differently.

Two important considerations driveyour offer strategy:

1. You only have 95 characters, spreadover 4 lines of type, to play with.

2. Since you are paying for each click,your ROI depends more on qualitythan on quantity.

The secret is coming up with an offerthat attracts qualified prospects, to main-tain conversion rates, instead of bringing intire-kickers who are only interested in get-

ting a quick deal, and won’t actually buy.In direct-marketing-offer theory, this is

called managing the “offer equation,”which says that response quality is typical-ly inversely related to response quantity. Inother words, the sweeter the offer, thehigher the response, and the less likely therespondents are to become profitable cus-tomers. Conversely, a lower responsebrings in more committed prospects, whoare likely to prove more valuable – justcostlier to acquire.

So the ideal in search engine marketingis to identify an attractive offer that alsoqualifies. And it needs to be very simple, soit can be communicated with minimalinvestment of your precious 95 characters.

Here are some excellent offers that serveboth purposes – simplicity and quality con-trol:

� Free shipping. An excellent way todifferentiate yourself in a highly competitiveenvironment. Free shipping is very appeal-ing, but because it is only redeemed on pur-chase, it’s perfect at equation management.

� Free trial. Another classic equation-

How to Craft a Compelling B2B Offer forSearch Engine Marketing

management tactic. Only people who areserious about your product will be likely totake it on trial. But you still get the power ofthe word “free.” In the tech world, a freesoftware download has been a proven win-ner of this type.

� Free gift with purchase. Anotherway to motivate conversion, versus mereclick-through, and easy to explain. But itdoes take up a bit more real estate thanfree shipping or free trial.

� Free information. Always a popularand productive offer in business markets,where buyers need detailed information aspart of their purchase process. Examplesinclude a free case study, research report,or white paper. Qualifies beautifully.

To be avoided are generous offers thatmotivate high response but poor quality –a free mug or t-shirt, with no stringsattached, for example. �

Ruth P. Stevens consults on B2B marketingand teaches marketing at business schools inthe United States and abroad. Reach her [email protected].

www.dmcny.org | 7

BY DEBBIE ROTH

The key to success forprinters in today’s ever-changing marketplace is tofocus on customer serviceone client at a time – and

develop creative partnerships one project ata time.

It’s no secret that the ante continues tobe raised in the direct marketing world –and in the printing industry as well. All of ushave been and will be affected by revolu-tionary changes in technology, the USPostal Service’s ongoing challenges, sus-tainability issues – and our ever-changingoptions for reaching customers whetherthey are in Los Angeles, Des Moines,Seattle, or New York City.

Add in the recent economic downturnand today’s glimmers of recovery, and youhave the recipe for uncertainty and a lot ofevolution for marketers and printers alike.

Although it’s a challenging environ-ment, there’s certainly reason to be opti-mistic in 2012. Overall, it’s exciting to adaptto a marketplace where the rate of changeis rapid and unpredictable. But how does aprinter keep pace, and provide marketerswhat they need so that everyone gets thebiggest bang for their buck? True produc-tivity still comes back to the basics: value,service and solutions.

VALUEWhatever the environment, printers

should always deliver a high level of valuebecause that’s the way they help clientsbring products to market. Printers need toask themselves: What is our value proposi-tion? What are we going to deliver? Howdo we remain competitive, high-qualityproviders?

First of all, printers need to invest inequipment and technology that enhancesproductivity and allows clients to come tomarket with a competitive product.

Second, other areas to invest in are thosethat provide higher-value products toclients who need increasingly sophisticat-ed integration and cross-marketing capa-bilities. But how do we determine if thetime is right for a major investment?

It’s really quite simple: That decisionshould be made through our relationships

with our clients. In fact, it would not besmart for a company to invest in equip-ment without a considerable amount ofclient input. Stay close to your direct mar-keting clients and work with them as part-ners so you can spot trends and under-stand what they are trying to accomplish.Once you have that information, anyequipment purchase has a direct link to thebig picture of client needs.

SERVICEIt’s easy to talk about providing excellent

service but it’s another thing to deliver onthat promise. Printers need to maintain andenhance their service levels, which meansturning projects out faster and more consis-tently to match the rapidly changing prefer-ences of today’s consumers.

Years ago, in his book Direct Marketing,Edward Nash said that “direct marketing isnot only a technology, it is a process. It notonly seeks to make a sale, it builds prof-itable customer relationships.” Today,detailed profiles of millions of prospectsand customers can be developed usinggeographic, demographic, psychographicand buying-history data. But the questionthat remains is: Which tools in the toolboxwill be a fit for which customers? Printersneed to bridge the gap between tradition-al printing processes and digital and datainnovations to serve each of their cus-tomers in unique ways.

SOLUTIONSThe printing industry is redefining itself as

printers offer better solutions and integra-tive services. More are focusing on sustain-ability as well – by emphasizing recycling,water conservation and energy efficiency.

We see lettershop companies addingprinting and printers adding store-front

Being Exceptional in 2012:Printers Need to Deliver Value, Service and Solutions

capabilities, while others are branching outand producing email campaigns andembracing the digital and mobile worlds.While innovation is necessary, printers stillneed to regulate how progressive they arein these areas and keep their focus on howthey can best provide customized servicesto each client, one project at a time.

The secret to sustaining that level ofservice is simple: Printers need to stay closeto their clients and assist them in findingunique solutions that allow them to engagewith customers at multiple touchpoints.

INVESTING IN INNOVATIONIn order to stay competitive now and in

the future, printers need to keep up theirinvestment not only in equipment, but insoftware, people and training. More andmore, marketers tell Japs-Olson how theyare currently conducting initiatives and askif we can suggest a different approach. Ourcustomers need flexibility and versatility. Asprinters, we need to be the go-to resourcethat marketers seek out for the most innova-tive value, service and solutions. �

Debbie Roth is vice president for sales andmarketing at Japs-Olson, one of the largestcommercial print and direct mail productioncompanies in the United States. Reach her [email protected].

DMCNY 2012 UPCOMING EVENTS April 11 – Evening Event. Networking in the Big Apple. Hurley’s third floor (232 W. 48thSt, between Broadway & 8th Ave.) 6:30-9:00pm. Enjoy one free drink.

April 24 – Half-Day Educational Seminar. Location TBD.“Moneyball for Marketers –Using Analytics Across the Life Cycle of the Customer to Drive ROI.” 8:30 – noon.

May 10 – Luncheon. Creative’s Role in Cross-Channel Marketing. Panel program includ-ing Robert Schwartz, Ogilvy; Nick Moore, Wunderman; and Patrick Fultz, DM Creative Group.

June 6 – Evening Event. Ari Oser, Forrester Research. A discussion with leading industrywriters on Interactive Marketing Trends.

For more information, or to register for an event, visit www.dmcny.org.

8 | March 2012

Q. Tell us about today’s market-ing student.

A. As DMEF carries out its mission, wedon’t target only marketing students. Wealso seek out talented students in otherareas, including PR/communications, eco-nomics, finance, and design, among others,as each is a rich pool for potential talent.

In addition, today’s students are digitalnatives. But that doesn’t necessarily meanthey’re well-grounded in incorporatingdigital into marketing. So, we present pro-grams designed to bridge the digital gapbetween students and the marketplace.

Q. How does DMEF help today’sstudents become tomorrow’sindustry leaders?

Last year, our Board approved a newstrategic plan. Within that plan, we visuallyidentified what DMEF is:We act as a funnel,attracting the largest number of studentsto direct/interactive marketing. Throughnumerous programs, we narrow down whothe top students are, so, at the end of thatfunnel, we help place the best and thebrightest students in our field.

At this funnel’s largest end are ourStudent Career Forums, one- or half-dayprograms that last year introduced morethan 400 students to our field. The nextlevel is our Collegiate ECHO MarketingChallenge, which engages hundreds of stu-dents and faculty in marketing campaigns.

We offer scholarships. Students apply,and we carefully vet them to assess theircommitment to this field. Taking it a stepfurther, we offer the Interactive MarketingImmersion Xperience, or I-MIX, an intensive,one-week program that delivers industryknowledge to highly motivated juniors andseniors and provides them networkingexposure to successful business people.

The Next Generation Leaders is our pre-mier program. It offers applicants – recent

graduates who represent the cream of thecrop – the opportunity to acquire valuablework experience during a 12-month rotat-ing residency program. Our associatesreceive exceptional training through twoor three assignments – six or four monthsat each participating company. And thecompanies gain new ideas and momen-tum from these exceptional students.

Q. How can marketers supportDMEF’s work?

There are a number of ways, but I’ll focuson two.We offer sponsorship opportunitiesfor our awards dinners and various studentprograms, including those I’ve mentionedand our recently relaunched Professor’sInstitute.

Importantly, there’s general giving,which can be done on a corporate or indi-vidual level. Certainly, we welcome contri-butions to our scholarship funds. This year,we plan to award $125,000 to worthy stu-dents, up from $85,000 last year.

Q. What does your DMCNYmembership provide DMEF?

The DMCNY, the organization as well itsindividual members, has been incrediblysupportive of DMEF. This kind of closenessand camaraderie is invaluable. In fact, for anonprofit organization like DMEF that’sdependent on contributions and in-kinddonations, the DMCNY’s longstanding sup-port simply cannot be quantified – nor canour appreciation of the Club and itsmembers.

To learn more about DMEF, visit direct-works.org, follow it on Facebook or Twitter, orcontact Terri at [email protected].

Doug Berger is a corporatecommunications consultantand speechwriter. Reach him [email protected].

The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) works to attract,educate, and place college students in direct/interactive marketing careers, thereby expandingand enriching the talent pool of trained, market-ready marketers. Posting’s Doug Berger spokewith DMEF President Terri L. Bartlett.

DMCNYMember Profile

Marketing Trends(continued from page 1)

How can you ready your team to meetthe challenges of the complex market-place? Address your transition in threebrainstorming stages:

1. As-Is. Identify your core marketingassets – creative, data, technology,people, suppliers. Where do theyreside? What barriers exist to lever-aging them?

2. Could-Be. Establish a vision for your“could-be” marketing organization.Define your business outcomes – byproduct, line of business, functionand geography. Prioritize how to fillthe gaps you find in your currentbusiness operations.

3. Stakeholders. Identify the keystakeholders (both externally andinternally) who will need to sup-port your transformation.

The one constant we will see in 2012 iscontinuous change and evolution of themarketing function and how marketersinteract with prospects and customers.Finding the talent and the will to activatethe platforms and the data that they con-tain across channels and locations will bemore challenging than finding the invest-ment to make the changes. �

Bruce Biegel, senior managing director atWinterberry Group, leads the firm’s consult-ing practice and establishes its strategic andoperational agenda. Reach him [email protected].

Doug Berger talks with Terri L. BartlettPresident of the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation

Last Chanceto Renew!

Now is the last chance to renew

your membership for 2012!

March 30th is the deadline, after

which Membership Benefits stop

and your name will not appear in

the printed Membership Directory.

Renew online at www.dmcny.org

or call Stu Boysen for assistance

(516-746-6700).

Engage With the Customer. Theterm “engagement” is often overused

today, but it is one of the best reasons toconsider an online preference center as thebasis of many programs that produce dia-logue and create value.

Customers can create their profile to optin or out of programs, but they might alsoregister products, obtain warrantee infor-mation, store gift information for friendsand family or participate in an online com-munity at the center. Provide reasons forcustomers to come to the preference cen-ter – and to return repeatedly.

Improve Loyalty and Retention.Creating a place where customers

can directly communicate with a brand is akey aspect of customer retention and loyal-ty. Even if the marketer is not ready toimplement a loyalty program, he or she canleverage a preference center to encouragecustomers’ continued interaction with thebrand. Consider offering highly targetedcoupons (customers’ IDs and data allow amarketer to be smart about coupons) or

www.dmcny.org | 9

bringing in a local element by providingdetails about the nearest retail location.This private, customized brand gatewayoffers a great opportunity for customerretention and repeat purchases.

Brands that offer loyalty programs canrefine the preference center as customersaccess loyalty program benefits. Considertemporary card printing, viewing rewardinformation or point balances, checkingprogress toward rewards or viewing previ-ous purchases. These functions work with-in the preference center context toincrease customer visits and interaction.

Keep It Simple for the Customer.The preference center can provide

corporate-level communications or givesingle brands the ability to communicatewith customers within a corporate frame-work. A preference center provides valueregardless of brand situation and increasesvalue as customer preferences and data areapplied more frequently. But, it is impor-tant to remember the customer experienceacross brands in order to ease any poten-tial frustrations because of internal road-blocks. If a marketer has multiple brands, itshould consider brand-specific preference

centers that are integrated with other com-pany brands.

A Valuable Resource – in Both DirectionsOnline preference centers provide cus-

tomers the ability to tell marketers whatthey want – and allow marketers to savemoney by only providing communicationsin the chosen channels, and determine thebest return on channel combinations.Ultimately, greater message relevancemeans better results. �

Jeannette Kocsis, senior vice president, digitalmarketing, oversees client digital strategyand media programs at The Agency InsideHarte-Hanks. Jeannette is responsible forintegration of new media, including socialand mobile, into client offerings. Reach her at@jnetk or [email protected].

Multichannel Mktg.(continued from page 5)

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For more information about theDirect Marketing Club of NY,

membership information,event dates and registration, visit

www.dmcny.org

http://bit.ly/dmcnyfacebook

10 | March 2012

donors to charities once they’ve“made it.”

� Reverence for education. They areself-taught and techno-savvy.

� A predisposition for hard work.

Here’s a brief profile of a few of the eth-nic groups steadily growing vital business-es across the country:

Hispanic. More than 90% of Hispanicfirms are concentrated in 20 Americanstates; 70% are concentrated in 4 states.The number of Hispanic-owned business-es is expected to grow 41.8% in thenext six years to 4.3 million, with total rev-enues surging 39% to more than $539 bil-lion, according to recent estimates byHispanTelligence.

African-American. African Americansoutnumber other ethnic groups in the cre-ation of SOHO (small office, home office)businesses. Entrepreneurs identify needswithin their communities and fulfill them.Enterprises related to elder care and child-care, for example, are proliferating inAfrican-American communities.

Asian Indian. Businesses owned byimmigrants from India are a major engineof growth in the computer, hospitality andhealthcare industries, according to theSurvey of Business Owners (2007 USCensus Bureau). These businesses areresponsible for an estimated $152 billion inrevenue generated yearly in the US.

Korean. A surge of Korean immigrantsto the US in the 1960s coincided with atrend among European small-businessowners to retire and sell off their stores.Koreans bought up those stores with thehelp of the kye, a rotating credit associa-tion. Other ethnic groups operate similarcommunity-driven lending services toboost entrepreneurship.

Multicultural Business Owners: AnOverlooked Market?

BY PEG NORTH

� NY Times (front page):Moving to the US, prosper-ing, immigrant entrepre-neurs attain considerableaffluence.

� Bloomberg: Immigrants key, andmajority of small businesses in NYC.

� Forbes: Latino-owned businesses lead-ing the recovery – revenues jump an aston-ishing 55%.

These, and other recent news stories,show how key immigrant business ownersare to the US recovery. It is estimated thatimmigrants/multiculturals create busi-nesses at two to three times the averagerate in the US. The owners of these busi-nesses, small or large, have money tospend and can be active, generous donors.They are often the heartbeats of theircommunities.

A study by Duke University, theUniversity of California Berkeley, andHarvard University reported that immi-grants to the US founded almost 52% ofSilicon Valley startups launched from 1995to 2005. A quarter of the patents filed dur-ing the same period came from immi-grants.

For all of these reasons and more, immi-grant-owned businesses have become avital market segment – one that businessand consumer marketers and nonprofitfundraisers may be overlooking.

DEMOGRAPHICS Key characteristics of multicultural busi-

ness owners include:� Optimism. A “nothing to lose” atti-

tude and a willingness to take risks.They are resilient, even startingseveral businesses simultaneously.

� A desire to collaborate.“We are all inthis together” is a common atti-tude, with families often workingtogether.

� A sense of adventure.“Let’s try some-thing new.” They have the guts totake chances.

� Respect and love for family and com-munity. They are consistent, loyal

TIPS FOR MARKETING TOIMMIGRANT-OWNEDBUSINESSES

Ethnic American communities and busi-nesses love American brands, goods andservices, and respond especially well whenmarketed to with respect and “in culture.”To learn more about immigrant-ownedbusinesses and serve them better, you maywant to:� Study their location, the size of indi-

vidual companies, their SIC codes,and their number of employees.

� Apply best practices as you wouldwith any consumer projects.

� Test your current controls with a listfocused on ethnic businesses.Tweak the control in simple waysto increase response – such as bysending a message from a mem-ber of your staff of the same ethnicorigin as your target audience.(“Jose Hernandez invites you tosample…”)

� Include a local geographic refer-ence. This has been shown to liftresponse in multicultural areas.

� Test and test again. Testing is thekey to finding an honest voice thatwill be welcomed in ethnic com-munities. Our clients tell us theycan get a two- to three-times big-ger response by testing and tweak-ing their promotions.

Part myth, part reality, the promise anddream of a better life are what unite us all.Focus your marketing campaigns on theoptimistic, hopeful spirit of immigrant-owned businesses to better serve themand their communities. Your results couldsurprise you. These are dynamic, potential-ly lucrative markets waiting to be tapped.�

Peg North is strategist, business collabora-tion, ethnic lists, enhancements and soft-ware, at Ethnic Technologies. Reach her [email protected] or 203-400-1056.

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“It is estimated thatimmigrants/multicul-turals create businessesat two to three times theaverage rate in the US.”

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